Calibrachoa plant named `BBCAL91303&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Calibrachoa  plant named ‘BBCAL91303’, characterized by its upright to outwardly spreading and mounding to eventually trailing plant habit; vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; dense and bushy appearance; early and freely flowering habit; red purple-colored flowers with bright yellow-colored centers; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Calibrachoa sp.

Cultivar denomination: ‘BBCAL91303’.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION AND STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY INVENTOR/APPLICANT

This application claims priority to a Canadian Plant Breeders' Rights application filed on May 17, 2019, application number 19-9874. There have been no offers for sale anywhere in the world prior to the effective filing date of this Application and no accessibility to one of ordinary skill in the art could have been derived from the printed Plant Breeder's Rights documents.

The Inventor/Applicant asserts that no publications nor advertisements relating to sales, offers for sale or public distribution occurred more than one year prior to the effective filing date of this application. Any information about the claimed plant would have been obtained from a direct or indirect disclosure from the Inventor. Applicant claims a prior art exemption under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(1) for disclosure and/or sales prior to the filing date but less than one year prior to the effective filing date.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Calibrachoa plant, botanically known as Calibrachoa sp. and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘BBCAL91303’.

The new Calibrachoa plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Bonsall, Calif. The objective of the breeding program is to create new uniform and freely-branching Calibrachoa plants with unique and attractive flower colors and patterns and good garden performance.

The new Calibrachoa plant originated from a cross-pollination conducted by the Inventor in Bonsall, Calif. on Aug. 12, 2016 of a proprietary seedling selection of Calibrachoa sp. identified as code number 16CB816-01, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary seedling selection of Calibrachoa sp. identified as code number 16CB806-01, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Calibrachoa plant was discovered and first selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Bonsall, Calif. on May 19, 2017.

Asexual reproduction of the new Calibrachoa plant by vegetative terminal cuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Bonsall, Calif. since Jun. 1, 2017 has shown that the unique features of this new Calibrachoa plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Calibrachoa have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘BBCAL91303’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘BBCAL91303’ as a new and distinct Calibrachoa plant:

-   -   1. Upright to outwardly spreading and mounding to eventually         trailing plant habit.     -   2. Vigorous growth habit.     -   3. Freely branching habit; dense and bushy appearance.     -   4. Early and freely flowering habit.     -   5. Red purple-colored flowers with bright yellow-colored         centers.     -   6. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Calibrachoa differ primarily from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Calibrachoa are more freely flowering than         plants of the female parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Calibrachoa and the female parent selection         differ in flower color as flowers of plants of the new         Calibrachoa are red purple in color with bright yellow-colored         centers whereas flowers of plants of the female parent selection         are purple and yellow bi-colored.     -   3. Plants of the new Calibrachoa have good garden performance         whereas plants of the female parent selection have poor garden         performance.

Plants of the new Calibrachoa differ primarily from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Calibrachoa are more freely flowering than         plants of the male parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Calibrachoa flower earlier than plants of         the male parent selection.     -   3. Plants of the new Calibrachoa have good garden performance         whereas plants of the male parent selection have poor garden         performance.

Plants of the new Calibrachoa can be compared to plants of the Calibrachoa sp. ‘USCALI11’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,968. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new Calibrachoa differ primarily from plants of ‘USCALI11’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Calibrachoa are more outwardly spreading         than and not as upright as plants of ‘USCALI11’.     -   2. Plants of the new Calibrachoa and ‘USCALI11’ differ in flower         color as flowers of plants of the new Calibrachoa are red purple         in color with bright yellow-colored centers whereas flowers of         plants of ‘USCALI11’ are light red purple in color.

Plants of the new Calibrachoa can also be compared to plants of the Calibrachoa sp. ‘USCALI51’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,874. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new Calibrachoa differ primarily from plants of ‘USCALI51’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Calibrachoa are more outwardly spreading         than and not as upright as plants of ‘USCALI51’.     -   2. Plants of the new Calibrachoa and ‘USCALI51’ differ in flower         color as flowers of plants of the new Calibrachoa are red purple         in color with bright yellow-colored centers whereas flowers of         plants of ‘USCALI11’ are violet in color.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Calibrachoa plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Calibrachoa plant.

At the top of the photographic sheet (FIG. 1) is a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘BBCAL91303’ grown in a container and at the bottom of the photographic sheet is a close-up view of a typical flowering plant of ‘BBCAL91303’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown during the spring in 15.25-cm containers in a polyethylene-covered greenhouse in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada and under cultural practices typical of commercial Verbena production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures averaged 27° C. and night temperatures averaged 15° C. Plants were pinched three weeks after planting and were ten weeks from planting rooted cuttings when the photographs and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2007 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Calibrachoa sp. ‘BBCAL91303’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary seedling selection of             Calibrachoa sp. identified as code number 16CB816-01, not             patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary seedling selection of             Calibrachoa sp. identified as code number 16CB806-01, not             patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By vegetative terminal cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About five to seven days at             ambient temperatures ranging from 17° C. to 29° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About seven to ten days at             ambient temperatures ranging from 17° C. to 21° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted plant, summer.—About four to five             weeks at ambient temperatures ranging from 17° C. to 29° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted plant, winter.—About five to six             weeks at ambient temperatures ranging from 17° C. to 21° C.         -   Root description.—Medium in thickness, fibrous; typically             white in color, actual color of the roots is dependent on             substrate composition, water quality, fertilizer type and             formulation, substrate temperature and physiological age of             roots.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant and growth habit.—Upright to outwardly spreading and             mounding to trailing plant habit; vigorous growth habit and             moderate growth rate; freely branching habit with about four             primary lateral branches each with about nine secondary             branches developing per plant; dense and bushy appearance.         -   Plant height.—About 14 cm.         -   Plant diameter.—About 45.8 cm. -   Lateral branch description:     -   -   Primary branches.—Length: About 19.9 cm. Diameter: About             2.1 mm. Internode length: About 1.5 cm.         -   Secondary branches.—Length: About 10.1 cm. Diameter: About             1.2 mm. Internode length: About 7 mm.         -   Strength.—Moderately strong, flexible and sturdy.         -   Aspect.—Semi-upright to horizontal.         -   Texture and luster.—Densely pubescent; matte.         -   Color, developing.—Close to 145A.         -   Color, developed.—Close to 144B. -   Leaf description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Before flowering, alternate; after flowering,             opposite; leaves simple.         -   Length.—About 2.8 cm.         -   Width.—About 1.1 cm.         -   Shape.—Broadly elliptic.         -   Apex.—Broadly acute to obtuse.         -   Base.—Attenuate.         -   Margin.—Entire.         -   Texture and luster, upper and lower surfaces.—Moderately             pubescence; matte.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate; arcuate.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 143A.             Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 138B. Fully             expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to N137C; venation,             close to 145B. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close             to 147B; venation, close to 144C.         -   Petioles.—Length: About 2 mm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm.             Strength: Moderately strong, flexible. Texture and luster,             upper and lower surfaces: Moderately pubescent; matte.             Color, upper surface: Close to 144C. Color, lower surface:             Close to N144D. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower type and flowering habit.—Single salverform flowers             arising from leaf axils; freely flowering habit with             typically about 410 flowers and flower buds developing per             plant at one time; flowers face upright to outwardly.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Natural flowering season.—Plants of the new Calibrachoa             begin flowering about six to eight weeks after planting;             plants flower continuously from the spring though the summer             until frost.         -   Flower longevity.—Individual flowers last about seven to ten             days on the plant; flowers not persistent.         -   Flower buds.—Length: About 1.8 cm. Diameter: About 4.5 mm.             Shape: Oblong, elongate. Texture and luster: Densely             pubescence; matte. Color: Close to N187A.         -   Flower diameter.—About 3.6 cm.         -   Flower length (height).—About 2.3 cm.         -   Flower throat diameter.—About 9 mm.         -   Flower tube length.—About 1.7 cm.         -   Flower tube diameter.—About 1 cm.         -   Corolla.—Arrangement: Five fused petals opening into a             flared trumpet. Petal lobe length (from throat): About             1.5 cm. Petal lobe width: About 1.7 cm. Petal shape:             Spatulate. Petal apex: Obtuse to slightly emarginate. Petal             margin: Entire; slightly undulate. Petal texture and luster,             upper surface: Smooth, glabrous, velvety; matte. Petal             texture and luster, lower surface: Moderately pubescent;             matte. Throat texture and luster: Smooth, glabrous; matte.             Tube texture and luster: Moderately pubescent; matte. Color:             Petal lobe, when opening, upper surface: Darker than N74A;             towards the base, close to 2A. Petal lobe, when opening,             lower surface: Close to N78B to N78C. Petal lobe, fully             opened, upper surface: Close to N74A; towards the base,             close to 2A; midvein, close to N186B and lateral venation,             close to 64A; main color becoming closer to N74C with             development. Petal lobe, fully opened, lower surface: Close             to N74C; midvein, close to N186B and lateral venation, close             to 64A; color becoming closer to N74D with development.             Throat: Close to 5A to 5B; venation, close to 64A. Tube:             Close to 1C; venation, close to N77A.         -   Calyx.—Arrangement: One star-shaped calyx tube with five             sepals fused towards the base and arranged in a single             whorl; sepals flaring outwardly and reflexing towards the             apex. Length: About 1.7 cm. Diameter: About 1.7 cm. Sepal             length: About 1.7 cm. Sepal width: About 3.5 mm. Sepal             shape: Lanceolate. Sepal apex: Acute. Sepal margin: Entire.             Sepal texture and luster, upper and lower surfaces:             Moderately pubescent; matte. Sepal color, upper surface:             Close to 138A. Sepal color, lower surface: Close to 138B.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 2.7 cm. Diameter: About 1 mm.             Angle: About 45° from stem axis. Strength: Moderately             strong, wiry and flexible. Texture and luster: Densely             pubescent; matte. Color: Close to 144B; at the calyx             attachment, close to N77C.         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity: Five per flower.             Filament length: About 9 mm. Filament color: Close to 154C.             Anther length: About 1 mm. Anther shape: Ellipsoidal. Anther             color: Close to 10C. Pollen amount: Moderate. Pollen color:             Close to 11B. Pistils: Quantity: One per flower. Pistil             length: About 8 mm. Style length: About 7 mm. Style color:             Close to 145B. Stigma diameter: About 1 mm. Stigma shape:             Ellipsoidal. Stigma color: Close to 145A. Ovary color: Close             to 145B.         -   Seeds and fruits.—To date, seed and fruit development have             not been observed on plants of the new Calibrachoa. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Calibrachoa have been observed     to have good garden performance and tolerate wind, rain and to be     suitable for USDA Hardiness Zones 9 to 11. -   Pathogen & pest resistance: To date, plants of the new Calibrachoa     have not been observed to be resistant to pathogens and pests common     to Calibrachoa plants. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Calibrachoa plant named ‘BBCAL91303’ as illustrated and described. 